A man has sparked anger after he was caught on video picking up and posing with a sea turtle at the beach in Hawaii.
The video went viral
A video of the incident went viral after it was shared by @itsbleuworld on November 14 on TikTok.
The video shows a man grabbing a Hawaiian green sea turtle, holding its fins and propping it up to smile for a picture.
He then drops it back down
After posing with the turtle, the man is then seen plopping it back down, tapping its shell a few times, then walking away from it.
The incident occurred on October 31 at Kuli‘ou‘ou Beach Park near Hawai‘i Kai on O‘ahu, per People.
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The poster wasn’t happy with the situation
The TikTok user who shared the video wasn’t happy to see the incident. They wrote in the caption, “Please remember DO NOT touch sea turtles in Hawaii, regardless of their condition, alive or dead.”
“They are protected animals. You must stay at least 10 feet away from them and avoid taking close-up photos or interacting with them in any way. This is not okay.”
The sea turtle species is protected
As the poster said, green sea turtles are a species protected under both Hawaii state law and the federal Endangered Species Act.
The species is listed as ‘threatened’, and harassing it is punishable by up to one year in jail as well as a fine.
State officials were told about the incident
The poster also shared that state officials were aware of the incident and that the turtle seen in the video was deceased when the man handled it.
The sea animal had three deep slashes on its shell.
The clip made it on the news
The viral video was shared by Hawaii News Now, who had Jason Redulla, enforcement chief for DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, speak about the situation.
Redulla said, “What our law provides is that a person who does that and is found guilty is guilty of a misdemeanor offense.”
He urged people to avoid acting this way
“That means up to one year in jail and a fine of no less than $250 on the first offense,” Redulla went on about the offense.
“Knock it off. Respect our wildlife as you would the wildlife where you come from.”
It’s important to understand the situation
Touching on the importance of conserving wildlife on the island, Redulla went on, “A lot of people come to Hawaii relaxed and not fully thinking about what they’re doing, or what consequences their actions may have.”
